The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla known by the varietal name `Berlin Rabe`.
The new cultivar is the product of a planned breeding program which has the objectives of creating a new hydrangea with attractive colored flowers which survive periods of cool storage and remain on the plant during forcing.
The new cultivar originated from a hybridization by the inventors, Franz-Xaver Rampp and Konrad Rampp, in a controlled breeding program at Rampp Jungpflanzen OHG, Mindelbergstrasse 9, D-87772 Pfaffenhausen, Germany, in 1994. The female parent and the male parent were seedlings originated by Rampp Jungpflanzen OHG, which were proprietary and maintained by Rampp Jungpflanzen OHG for breeding purposes.
Asexual reproduction was accomplished when cuttings were taken from the mother plant and tissue cultured.
The new cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length. The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plants pinched once in autumn and grown in 13 cm pots in Pfaffenhausen under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial practice.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of the new cultivar which in combination distinguish this hydrangea as a new and distinct cultivar.
1) Bright pink colored flowers.
2) Storable in the cold.
3) Very suitable for growth in pots due to very good bud initiation.
4) More vigorous growth than "Freudenstein" not, patented.
5) Extremely high resistance to mildew.